Ather
by Tora Delerium
Summary: This is a fic about a girl in Ravenclaw. She's never seen, never heard, or thought of. Until fifth year came around and se made the aquaintance of Harry Potter, Ather was overlooked. Take placed during the fifth book! Please rr!
1. Prologue

OK. This is my first attempt at a HP fic. The idea came to me after the fifth book for an unknown reason. Maybe it's because J.K.R. just killed off my favorite character! *calms herself *. I will remain calm and I won't hold any grudges. Anyway.  
  
This takes place during Harry's fifth year. It about a girl in Ravenclaw that can't be seen. Cliché? Yes, I know, but it's fun to write. She can only be seen by those who have seen Voldermort, because her dad was a fathead. It was a mix of to spells that hit her as an infant (in voldie's presence) that caused this strange 'fate'.  
  
On with the story!  
  
Chapter 1. Prologue.  
  
The candle was dead again. In had burnt all the way down to the end of the wick and died. She sighed and pushed it into the trashcan and moved to get another one. Magic over the holiday was forbidden, so she couldn't just 'redo' the wax and wick. She pulled a tan colored candle from the cupboard and lit it. The flame was dull at first, but as the wax around it bubbled it grew higher. She looked back at her book on the bed and sighed.  
  
It was always the same. She stayed at school every summer with the teachers and ghosts. It wasn't entirely bad, but it made her feel unwanted at times. Then again, she supposed, it was better than staying with her father in Azkaban. She shuddered just thinking of the place. She had visited him once and ate chocolate for a week straight. She shook her head again and sat back on her bed, pulling one of her faded quilts around her shoulder. It was so cold in the dungeons at times. No matter what time of year.  
  
The hourglass to her left was dropping sand quicker than she would have wanted. Her godfather would come in and tell her she needed to sleep soon. She snorted and closed her book. She didn't need to read it anymore anyways. Her over holiday homework had been finished three weeks into the summer, with an extra foot to each essay. She was so bored during break that she didn't have anything else to do, but study and read. O.W.L's would be easy for her this year.  
  
There was a knock at the door that made her look up. Professor Snape's head appeared in the doorway.  
  
"Ather, you should go to sleep now," he said, more in a demanding tone than a suggesting one. She nodded her head and placed her books on her shelf. Snape looked at her a moment before speaking again. "Make sure you're dressed properly tomorrow," he said then shut the door.  
  
She nodded to herself and moved over to her closet. She pulled out a pair of gray polyester pants and a forest green tank top. She looked out the window and grabbed a gray sweater; it would be a bit chilly tomorrow. She pushed aside her robes and pulled out her knee high lace-up boots. They always kept her legs warm and didn't have much of a heel. She placed the said clothes on her desk and moved back to her closet to throw on a pair of pajamas (Tank top and boxers) then sat on her bed.  
  
The room around her danced in the light from the light of her candle, allowing shadows to take tricky forms. This was the room she had known nearly ten years. Her second Aunt, Narcissa, had decided that she didn't want to raise her in the same house as her betrothed and handed her over to the care of her Godfather when she turned five.  
  
Hogwarts had been her home since she was five. She shook her head and gave a wry smile to her pillow. She pulled the covers up around her and blew out the candle. She watched the smoke filter up into the air until it was no more. Smoke was always a nice thing to watch. She rolled over and hugged her 'huggy pillow'. Tomorrow she would be going to Diagon Alley for school supplies and after that, Snape had said, they would be going to see the Order.  
  
She smiled. She could go and see her Uncle. He always made her laugh and seemed like the father she *wished* she had. Then again, wishing never lead to anything good in the Wizarding World.  
  
She was Catherine Lestrange, after all.  
  
Ok! That's the end of the Prologue! Please tell me what you think. Reviews help me write a story. Plus they make me feel all fuzzy inside. If you have any direct questions you want to have answered then email me at FaltoraDragon@aol.com.  
  
Tora 


	2. We Meet Again

Wah! I lost my disk with two of my stories on it and had to postpone any updates. Sorry for lack of posting. Anyway. Thank you to my five lovely reviewers. And I hate to tell you that I'm back in school so updates are going to be spaced out quite a bit.  
  
Chapter 2. We Meet Again.  
  
She walked slowly up and down the isles of the bookstore. Her hand dragged over the bindings, feeling the textures of each title. Occasionally she would drop her finger and catch a book that breached her liking. It hadn't happened yet today.  
  
She sighed, letting her mind wander to how school would be in a few weeks. She would sit in the back of class, taking notes. Only a few students would be able to see her, but it was more than before. Was she even ready to be seen? She had only met one other student at Hogwarts, but she wouldn't see him that much.  
  
She shook her head and pulled and old gray book from a shelf. It was about muggles from the medieval times. This era interested her. It was so old and a very attractive time period. She looked up and gasped softly at the gray eyes peering at her from the other side of the shelf. She pushed the book back into its place and moved her feet to walk down the isle, never breaking eye contact. The person walked with her. The shelf ended and they were forced to meet each other.  
  
Ather couldn't bring herself to smile at him. She didn't know why, but she couldn't. He couldn't even see her before the middle of summer.  
  
"Hello Draco," she said calmly, staring up at him. Her face was neither sad nor disdained, only plain. A blank expression. He sniffed out his nose and let his eyes leave hers to trail her for then back up to her eyes. A smirk slid across his lips as he answered.  
  
"Hello Ather." His voice was also calm. It felt strange to know he could see her. She glanced away quickly and tried to find words.  
  
"H-how are you?" She asked, trying to be polite. Why did she stutter?  
  
"Do I make you feel uncomfortable, Ather?" He asked raising and eyebrow. Ather looked back up at him. She was so plain. A beautiful plain that was monotone to the world.  
  
"I suppose the fact that I shall have to call you husband in two and a half years is slightly unnerving," She answered. His smirk dropped and she tilted her chin up. He was in the same position as she. An arranged marriage at birth.  
  
He reached out and took her hand. Ather stiffened at the contact, but let him continue. "I'm afraid I must agree," he said "Being engaged to and invisible is difficult to comprehend the wedding night," he kissed the back of her hand. Her eyes narrowed and she jerked back her hand from his grip. She raised her hand to slap him, but he reached out and gripped her wrist tightly.  
  
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," he warned, tightening his grip. She winced, knowing the area would bruise shortly. He leaned forward again. "Perhaps I will be able to train you," he whispered and kissed her cheek. Then he was gone, walking from the isle, his robes billowing behind him.  
  
Ather rubbed her cheek then clammed her hand into the bookshelf.  
  
"Ather!" Severus called. His voice was on the edge of annoyance. She picked up her bag and ran from her room.  
  
"I'm here! She said looking up at him. He scowled and started leading the way through the castle. She cringed back. Her Godfather was never in a good mood when they had to make these visits. He was rarely in a good mood anyway. She smiled. She liked them.  
  
Sirius had always seen her. At least when he wasn't in Azkaban, but she had seen him there once. Azkaban was her favorite place in the world and she shuddered just thinking of it. The prison was dead from the outside, but worse once you got it. It sucked anything and everything away that was happiness. She shook her head. She didn't have a lot of happiness anyway.  
  
"Hurry up, Ather," Severus hissed, breaking her from her thoughts. They needed to get into the forest to use the port key hidden inside. She didn't like using the port key. They always made her sick, or at least dizzy.  
  
The familiar pull at her bellybutton madder her hand fly to her mouth. She really didn't like port keys. The landscape stopped suddenly around her and the pull went away. She jerked her hand away from the old shoe that was the port key and called out.  
  
"Uncle Sirius!?"  
  
The dark house was quiet for a moment before a woman started screaming obscene comments about dirty blood.  
  
"Hush," Severus said quietly to her. She ignored him and ran from the room. She nearly collided with a dark man in the hallway. She wrapped her arms around his waist as he hugged her around the shoulders.  
  
"Hey Ather!" he said, smiling.  
  
"Sirius!" She said pulling back and looking up at him. Long dark hair, tall, handsome when he kept himself together, at least. Yep, this was her Uncle Sirius. Technically he was her fourth uncle, but he was still a relative.  
  
"How've you been?" he asked, running a hand through her dark hair. She smiled.  
  
"Been better, but I'm good all together," she said "And you?"  
  
"Lonely as a troll," he said with a heavy sigh. "It's almost like being back in Azkaban, minus the Dementors." Ather laughed lightly at that. "Can you stay for the rest of the summer?" Sirius asked suddenly. Ather was about to answer when someone coughed in the doorway.  
  
"She will not," Severus said coldly. Ather stepped away from Sirius and looked down. Snape watched her for a moment then looked back to Sirius. "Where is everyone?"  
  
"In the dining room," Sirius said. Snape nodded and walked from the hall without any noise. Ather looked up at Sirius, who was making faces at the retreating professor. She stifled a giggle.  
  
"You don't have to do exactly what he says," Sirius suggested.  
  
"You know I couldn't do that," She said. "And I don't entirely like being places where people can't see me," she added.  
  
"Harry can see you and so can Ginny," Sirius said.  
  
"So what we really want is for people in the Order and two children to see me while everyone else is confused?" Ather asked, raising both eyebrows. Sirius moved his head from side to side before nodding. Ather scoffed and rolled her eyes. Severus walked back into the room and looked at them both, sneering.  
  
"Come Ather," he said, moving back towards the room that the port key was in. Time to go back to Hogwarts. Ather started to follow, chewing at her lips. She wasn't to stay, but she didn't want to upset her Godfather. Then again, Sirius was the only living relative that wasn't in Azkaban.  
  
"Severus?" She said quietly. He didn't hear her. "Severus?" she said a little louder. He heard her this time and turned his head to regard her. "Can I please stay the night?"  
  
He seemed to think and rethink her request before shaking his head.  
  
"No."  
  
Yet she persisted. "Severus, I would like to spend this night here, please," she said seriously. He blinked and looked at her fully. What was she doing?  
  
"Ather..." He warned. She was trying his patience now. Ather closed her eyes and breathed in Deeply, taking a step back.  
  
"I wish to stay here for the night," she said calmly and respectfully.  
  
The clock on the wall ticked once, twice, and a third time. A mouse ran across the floor, though their feet before Snape answered.  
  
"I will pick you up at nine o'clock in the morning," he said and walked away. Sirius blinked before he broke into a smile. She could meet Harry now! Ather followed Severus immediately, without word. On the inside she was beaming. She could stay with her Uncle Sirius for the night. She would still have to be careful of some people, though. None of the Weasley's could see her, for one. She took hold of the old shoe portkey and closed her eyes. Harry Potter could see her. Moody, Remus and most of the others from the Order could see her. Dumbledore. He was the best next to Sirius. He was like one of those muggles a few decades ago. A hippie was what they were called. Yes, he was like an old hippie.  
  
Severus walked quickly from the forest with Ather trailing. For some reason, seeing Hogwarts brought back her thoughts of the upcoming school year. There was a new D.A.D.A teacher. Would she be able to see Ather? The other teachers (not counting Lockhart) could. What would school be like now that Draco could see her? Would his behavior change when they were in school? Would school be different at all?  
  
What a question. A lot of thing will be different in 5th year. Sorry it took me so long to update. I'm slow and stuff. Please Review by pressing that little blue button for me! Thankies!  
  
Tora Delerium 


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